Tom was watching the PBS TV series "Doc
Martin"
recently and someone threw salt over their left shoulder. We wondered
what that
meant, so I looked it up and found this interesting article on line.
Maybe
it'll explain some things you've heard about! There are a lot of
superstitions, so you'll be able to read about them over the course of
several days.
- Rob
Part 2: What's behind Some Superstitions? Fingernails, Fishermen, Frogs, Knives
Fingernails - Witches, seeking to control and influence their victims,
used to brew potions with collected fingernail clippings. The truly
superstitious burn or bury their clippings to keep them from harm. The
eccentric artist Picasso stuck rigidly to this rule, keeping all his nail
clippings — and shorn hair — in sealed and dated containers.
Fishermen's Superstitions - Seafaring men have
invented countless superstitions to keep them safe until they are back on dry
land. Having a woman on board, distracting the sailors, is
thought to bring terrible luck on a crew. However, a naked woman is said to
calm stormy seas, which explains the busty figureheads found on the front of
ships. Bananas on board spell disaster. One theory dates back to the 17th century when
slave ships sometimes travelled with a cargo of bananas. The fruit was known to
release deadly methane gas into the hold, suffocating African slaves trapped
inside.
Frogs - Frogs were once believed to cure all manner of ailments.
A country cure for thrush was to hold a live frog to the patient’s mouth. As it
breathed in, it was supposed to draw out the disease into its own body. Warts
could also be cured by rubbing a frog across them. (EEEEWWWW!!!)
Knives Superstitions - Beware of buying a bride and groom a set of kitchen knives. Legend has it that giving a knife
as a present ‘cuts’ your friendship in two. The Greeks believe that a black-handled knife under the
pillow wards off nightmares, and the Chinese that knives protect pregnant women
from evil spirits. A knife under the bed is meant to act as a painkiller during
childbirth, and, in a pre-Health-and-Safety age, a knife in the cradle was
thought to keep a baby from harm.
NEXT: Superstitions of Ladders, Magpies, Rocking Chairs, and Spilled Salt
NEXT: Superstitions of Ladders, Magpies, Rocking Chairs, and Spilled Salt
